VA Housed More than 1,800 Veterans Experiencing Homelessness in the Greater Los Angeles Region in Fiscal Year 2024 – the most of any city in America

Los Angeles , CA — Today, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS) announced it housed 1,854 Veterans experiencing homeless in greater Los Angeles in fiscal year 2024 (October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024), surpassing its FY 2024 goal by 15.5%. This follows last month’s announcement that VAGLAHS had surpassed its FY 2024 goal to permanently house 1,605 Veterans a month early. 

With these final numbers, VA has housed more homeless Veterans in Los Angeles than any other city in America for third year in a row. Most importantly, between 2023 and 2024, there was a 23% reduction in Veteran homelessness in Los Angeles according to the latest Point-in-Time (PIT) count

Of the Veterans housed in FY 2024, 92.9% did not return to homelessness. In addition, 2,308 unsheltered Veterans throughout the VAGLAHS catchment area have been engaged to ensure they have access to the housing and other wraparound services they need.

Preventing and eliminating Veteran homelessness is a top priority for VA and the entire Biden-Harris Administration. Since FY 2022, VA has permanently housed nearly 134,000 formerly homeless Veterans, and the total number of Veterans experiencing homelessness in the U.S. has fallen by over 4% since early 2020 and by more than 52% since 2010. 

“For 1,854 Veterans, life has fundamentally changed,” said VAGLAHS Medical Center Director Robert Merchant. “These individuals who sacrificed for our nation are now off the streets and in homes of their own, with the support and services they need to rebuild their lives. Our team is on the front lines of this lifesaving work, and I’m proud of the passion and determination they demonstrate every day. Though we have much work yet to do, this progress is an important step forward, and we will continue to build on this momentum.”

Nationally, during this same time period, VA housed 47,925 Veterans experiencing homelessness, surpassing its fiscal year 2024 goal to house 41,000 Veterans by 16.9%. A total of 96% of the Veterans housed nationally have not returned to homelessness.

The recent improvements in LA have been fueled by a significant increase in VA housing placements for Los Angeles Veterans. Still, there is more work to be done and VA is continuing to take aggressive action to combat Veteran homelessness in Los Angeles, including: 

• VA is investing in housing on the West LA Campus: On September 26th, 2024, Veteran residents began moving into the newest building on the West LA VA Medical Center campus, 671 MacArthur Avenue. The new building features a community garden, dog park, gym, walking paths, and a business center. With this newest addition, there are now 307 units open on campus with 461 under construction and at least 730 total units anticipated to be open by the end of 2025.
• VA launched a new call center serving unsheltered Veterans in LA: VA’s first-ever emergency housing call center launched in December 2022 at VAGLAHS, and it has brought more than 500 unsheltered Veterans off the street since its inception. Veterans experiencing homelessness can call 310-268-3350 and get an Uber/Lyft ride to VA-supported emergency housing on the same day they call. 
• VA is providing mobile outreach to homeless Veterans:  In early 2024, VAGLAHS also began operation of a MMU for homelessness and mental health outreach. It travels around Los Angeles offering primary and preventative care, referrals to specialty care and access to housing assistance for Veterans in their own communities. Hosting multiple events per month, the MMU has seen over 200 Veterans since April 2024.
• VA has adopted a “no wrong door” approach to homelessness in LA: Our approach in LA is to ensure that there is no “wrong door” to support from VA. One application of this is the by-name list (BNL), a tool that identifies and tracks services for all unhoused Veterans. For the first time, Los Angeles has an accurate BNL that all providers are committed to keeping up to date. Additionally, this approach has facilitated resource sharing. By combining LA County and VA resources, we have been able to expand the affordable housing supply. In June 2024, the first two bulk leasing buildings have been opened, 51 apartments in Burbank and West Hollywood, and a third building has just been opened, offering 17 new apartments in Hawthorne with more buildings on the way. 

VA’s efforts to combat Veteran homelessness are grounded in reaching out to homeless Veterans, understanding their unique needs, and addressing them. These efforts are built on the evidence-based “Housing First” approach, which prioritizes getting a Veteran into housing, then providing or connecting them with the wraparound services and supports they need to stay housed, including health care, job training, legal and education assistance, and more. 

Every day, VA staff and VA’s community partners nationwide help Veterans find permanent housing, such as apartments or houses to rent or own, often with subsidies to help make the housing affordable. In some cases, VA staff and partners help Veterans end their homelessness by reuniting them with family and friends.

If you are a Veteran who is experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-4AID-VET (877-424-3838) or visit VA.gov/homeless.